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Interactive Fiction B
Introduction Definition of Interactive Fiction The website [http://www.dictionary.com www.dictionary.com] defines Interactive Fiction as "a type of computer game in which the player controls characters with text commands". It is important to distinguish interactive fiction from hypertext fiction. Hypertext fiction uses hyperlinks to allow readers to progress through the work, while interactive fiction allows the user to type in any command they choose in order to advance through the game. It is for this reason that interactive fiction is commonly referred to as "text adventures". While interactive fiction may seem like little more than a game, David Hancy and Bernard Hayes argue that "interactive fiction could offer students who are reluctant readers a new motivation and interest to use their reading ability for personal satisfaction".David Hancy and Bernard Hayes, Interactive Fiction and the Reluctant Reader http://www.jstor.org/stable/818936 Interactive fiction is an exciting, growing genre that can give technologically fascinated adolescents an opportunity to hone their reading skills. History of Interactive Fiction Interactive Fiction (IF) is one of the first forms of the computer game, which has evolved overtime, through different mediums, to include several interactive stories and experiences for the reader. IF originated around 30 years ago, with its first main work being an adventure game called “Adventure”, created in 1975 by programmer and caver named Will Crowther. The game stimulated the adventure of exploring an extensive network of caves in which the gamer encounters both treasures and hazards. The game includes both realistic and fantasy aspects such as trying to solve the problem of dying lamp batteries and axe-wielding dwarves. The game has no graphics, but instead has a narrator that describes a situation then asks for the gamer to input what actions to take to continue. To this day, “Adventure” can still be played and exists in several updated versions. The popularity of “Adventure” lead to several other works of interactive fiction that people could play on their computers with little graphics. Some commands from this game are still used in the present in games such as Minesweeper. This exploration text inspired a completely new commercial genre of computer gaming in the 1980’s that were in extreme high demand and popular amongst its users. During this commercial era, some of the main companies included Infocom, Melbourne House, Level 9, and Adventure International. The concept of strictly text IF left the commercial market place around 1990. Major Features of Interactive Fiction Interactive Fiction (IF) is any form of literature in which the reader/user influences the outcome of the story. IF can be composed in two different forms, graphic and text. The earliest literature in IF was in text form. Often times, novels were written with several plot changes and twists that is entirely up to the reader to choose. The author may offer a couple scenarios that the reader must choose from by flipping ahead in the book. Each option leads to a new set of scenarios and entirely new endings to the novel. The same idea works with online text. Users often read the basic story information and type commands in which the character in the story responds to. Commands are often simple, like "Take Book" or "Read Letter", but this allows the author to include interactive components throughout their work. Graphic forms of interactive fiction involve using imagery instead of text. Authors of graphic IF spend a lot more time with their work, often resulting in their literature having a price. The main idea behind IF is that you are required to use your brain to solve puzzles in order to reach the story's ending, as opposed to simply reading words on paper. For further information regarding major features of IF, please refer to "[http://brasslantern.org/beginners/introif.html Introducing Interactive Fiction]"Stephen Granade, Introducing Interactive Fiction, 1997-2010, http://brasslantern.org/beginners/introif.html on the [http://brasslantern.org Brass Lantern]Stephen Granade, Brass Lantern: The Adventure Game Website, 1997-2010, http://brasslantern.org website. "Dual Transform" by Andrew Plotkin (Ernie Nieves) [http://eblong.com/zarf/if.html#dual Dual Transform] "Cold Iron" by Andrew Plotkin (Josh Rahmani) "Violet" by Jeremy Freese (John Gillick) "[title]" by [author] (Karen Eschbach) "Taco Fiction " by Ryan Veeder (Oma Wonodi) References